Highlights from Lagos Art Week; Curators Shaping The African Art Scene; Ejiro Fenegal's Sculpting Practice
If you have been paying attention to the contemporary African art scene post-pandemic, you will observe a notable improvement in the practice of African artists and curators. The curatorial practices of emerging and established curators living on the continent and in the diaspora have been more collaborative and diverse. In our most recent offering, we spotlight five curators working across multiple disciplines as they work on shaping and influencing the future of contemporary African art.
Jumoke Sanwo, Joseph Awuah-Darko, Larry Osei-Mensah, Aindrea Emelife, and Anelisa Mangcu are curators you should know. Read more about their practice here.
A recap of Art X Lagos 2023
This year's Art X Lagos was held at the Federal Palace Hotel grounds in Victoria Island from November 2nd to 5th, 2023. For the 8th edition, Art X showed artists from 10 participating galleries, including Galerie MAM (Cameroon), Nike Art Gallery (Nigeria), Afriart Gallery (Uganda), Tiwani Contemporary (U.K. and Nigeria), Gallery 1957 (Ghana), Wunika Mukan Gallery (Nigeria), Alexis Galleries (Nigeria), kó Art Space (Nigeria), O'DA Art Gallery (Nigeria), and SMO Contemporary Art (Nigeria).
The theme for this year’s edition was ‘The Dialogue’, to prompt community, negotiation, and interaction. This year, Art X introduced ‘Art X Cinema’ and ‘Special Projects.’ The works of the artists that presented at this fair including Ejiro Fenegal, Joy Labinjo, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Nike Okundaye, Adulphina Imuede, Samuel Nnorom, Daniel Quarshie, and so on contributed to the dialogue. Art X was most intentional in creating a special experience to forge deeper connections between gallerists, collectors, and fairgoers.
The Special Projects featured carefully curated exhibits, engaging installations, and thought-provoking experiences, celebrating diverse voices in the art world.
With Art X Cinema, films from artist-filmmakers including John Akomfrah and Black Audio Film Collective, Sammy Baloji, Meriem Bennani, Jessica Beattie, Jihan El-Tahri, Binelde Hyrcan, Onyeka Igwe, Goddy Leye, Kader Attia, Ibrahim Mahama, Betehlem Makonnen, Fatimah Tuggar, and Ezra Wube were screened.
Dafe Oboro and Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński, 2022 Access ART X Prize winners for Nigeria and the Diaspora, also presented their works at the fair. The presentation was curated by Jumoke Sanwo. The Access ART X Prize is a notable award for rising artists from Africa and its Diaspora, presented in collaboration with Access Holdings/Access Bank. The solo show 'Ire' by Kazeem-Kamiski is an introspective photographic series inspired by the artist's profound fascination with Yoruba mythology. Dafe Oboro uses video, sound collage, theatrical metaphor, and self-portraiture in his solo show 'Odafe,' to explore issues of cultural displacement, migration, masculinity, spirituality, and rebirth.
Lagos Art Week
The city of Lagos has been bursting with creative and artistic energy. This is the time for art and culture enthusiasts to explore the Lagos Art Scene. Since October, there have been remarkable presentations of paintings, photographs, films, and other mixed-media installations across the city. Some of the exciting events in November include the just concluded Art X Lagos, one of the largest art festivals in West Africa, the African International Film Festival (AFRIFF), an annual film festival that happens in Nigeria, and the ongoing Lagos Photo Festival.
Here are 3 art shows you mustn’t miss this month. You can also check out nonprofit and artist-led spaces like 16/16, Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) Lagos, and the Yemisi Shyllon Museum, amongst others, for more open art shows.
Artist Spotlight: Ejiro Fenegal
Ejiro Fenegal (b. 1991) is a sculptor from Ughelli, Delta State. Using the bonded stone medium, Fenegal’s subject is the female form. With an academic background in sculpture, her artistic process involves modelling her figures in clay, before finishing in bronze and then bonded stone.
Fenegal's works focus on the human body in all its forms, looks, and qualities. She sculpts female figures with flamboyant traditional hairstyles in representation of inspiring young female leaders. Her sculptures were a highlight of the Art X Lagos Fair 2023 as she exhibited in a group show with SMO Contemporary Art.
On view:
A World In Common: Contemporary African Photography – Group Show at Tate Modern. (July 6, 2023 - January 14, 2024).
The Dance of People and the Natural World - Nengi Omuku's solo exhibition at Hastings Contemporary. (October 7, 2023 - March 3, 2024)
Equestrian Portrait of Prince Tommaso of Savoy-Carignan: Kehinde Wiley’s work is on loan to the Timken. (July 1 - April 20, 2024).
Kehinde Wiley, Equestrian Portrait of Prince Tommaso of Savoy-Carignan, 2018.
You’ve done amazingly well to capture these events of 2023 in the local arts scene, Iyanu. I particularly liked the art x lagos event line-up and Ejiro’s bust looks very convincing
Thank you!